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Use tracking macros/tokens to pass Pops data to your tracking platform
Use tracking macros/tokens to pass Pops data to your tracking platform
RTX Platform Support avatar
Written by RTX Platform Support
Updated over a week ago

Track performance data in your tracking platform by appending our tracking macros to your creative URLs.

What are tracking macros?

If you use a third-party platform like Bevo Tracker, TrackingDesk, CPVLab or Voluum to track campaign performance, you can append macros to your creative URL that enable cross-platform campaign tracking. When a user lands on your creative URL, your macros dynamically populate the appropriate data and pass it to your tracking platform.

How should I structure my tracking URL?

Tracking URLs have multiple parts. The first part is the URL of your landing page, followed by a question mark (?) as the first parameter's prefix, then the first parameter, an equal sign (=), and the macro that corresponds with the preceding parameter. Here's an example of how a URL might look if you're tracking a campaign's ID:

In the example above, campaign is the parameter and {campaign_id} is the macro being passed through the parameter.

NOTE: The parameters you use to append each macro will vary depending on your tracking platform. For example, some platforms may require {target} to be passed into the target parameter (i.e. target={target}), while others may use keyword as the parameter (i.e. keyword={target}). Consult your tracking platform to find the correct parameters to use with our macros.

You can append multiple parameters and macros by prepending an ampersand (&), or other prefix depending on your tracker, to each additional parameter. For example:

NOTE: Some tracking platforms require multiple macros to be passed into a single parameter. For example, you may append bidgeo={bid}-{geo} or bidgeo={bid}|{geo} to track the impression's bid and the user's location. Consult your tracking platform to verify the correct structure for tracking multiple macros.

When a user lands on a URL containing macros, each macro will be replaced by the appropriate data. This data is called a value. For example, if a campaign with the ID1234 contains the target survey, which matches for an impression served to user in the United States, your tracking URL would change from this:

http://tracking.adserver.com?campaign={campaign_id}&kw={target}&geo={country}

...to this:

http://tracking.adserver.com?campaign=1234&kw=survey&geo=US

Your tracking platform will then capture the values populated by each macro in the URL, which is how it collects the data for your reports.

What tracking macros are available?

The following macros are available for third-party tracking:

  • {bid} - The price you paid for the CPV impression. NOTE: If you're using Proxy Bids on Pops, {bid} will pass back the price you were charged for the impression, not the Proxy Bid you've set.

  • {target} - The name of the target that received the impression

  • {target_id} - The ID of the target that received the impression

  • {domain} - The root or subdomain of the URL that received the click or impression

  • {creative_id} - The ID of the creative that received the click or impression

  • {campaign_id} - The ID of the campaign that received the click or impression

  • {channel} - The traffic channel that served the impression

  • {click_id} - The unique identifier when a server-to-server conversion pixel is being used*

  • {country} - The country the impression came from, or where the user is located

  • {device} - The device the click or impression came from (Desktop, Mobile, Tablet, or Other)

  • {os} - The operating system the impression came from (Mac OS, Windows, iOS, Android, or Other)

  • {browser} - The browser the impression came from (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, IE, Safari, Opera, or Other)

  • {connection} - The connection type of the user who was served the impression (Cable/DSL, Cellular, Corporate, Dial-Up, or Unknown)

  • {carrier} - The mobile carrier of the user who was served the impression (i.e., AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Fios, etc.)

  • {device_model} - The mobile device model of the user who was served the impression (i.e., iPhone 7, Samsung Galaxy S8, etc.). NOTE: {device_model} only tracks mobile devices. If an impression is served on desktop, this macro will pass back "generic web browser" as the device model.

  • {ip} - The IP of the user who was served the impression

  • {url} - The full URL of the page that served your ad

  • {target_type} - The type of Pops target that received the impression (i.e., Domain, URL, URL + Page Content, Search Query, RON)

  • {subid} - The sub-ID of the traffic source that served your ad

*To use a server-to-server pixel, you must pass {click_id} into your Target URL. Your tracking system must extract the click_id and then pass it back via the "b" parameter in the server to server call upon conversion. Learn more about installing server-to-server pixels.

NOTE: To find the ID number for a campaign, creative, or target, please refer to these instructions.

How do I add or remove macros?

Follow the steps below to edit your creative URLs by adding or removing macros and parameters.

  1. Log into your RTX Platform account, then click the Pops tab in the navigation bar.

  2. Click the Campaigns tab, then click the campaign with the creative(s) you're editing.

  3. Click the Creatives tab, then check the box next to each creative you want to update. NOTE: When selecting multiple creatives one at a time, they must be on the same page. Use the dropdown below the Creatives table to display up to 500 rows per page. To select all creatives on the page, check the top-most checkbox in the table header. To select all creatives across all pages, check the top-most checkbox in the table, then click the link above the table to select all rows on all pages.

  4. From the Edit dropdown, select Append URL Parameter to add one or more parameters + macros to your creative URL(s), or select Remove URL Parameter to remove one or more parameters + macros.

  5. Enter the string of characters to append or remove. For example, if you want to start tracking bids, you might enter bid={bid}.

    When adding macro(s) to a URL that does not already contain any parameters, a question mark (?) prefix will automatically be prepended to the string you're adding. For example, if your creative URL is http://example.com/ and you enter bid={bid}, your URL will update to http://example.com/?bid={bid} with the question mark automatically included.

    When adding macro(s) to a URL that already contains one or more parameters, your input must include the appropriate prefix (&, -, |, etc.). For example, if your creative URL is http://example.com/?bid={bid} and you enter &geo={country}, your URL will update to http://example.com/?bid={bid}&geo={country}. The ampersand (&), or other prefix, is not automatically included.

    When removing all parameters from a URL, the question mark (?) will be removed automatically. For example, if your creative URL is http://example.com/?bid={bid} and you enter bid={bid}, your URL will update to http://example.com/.

    Removing any parameters prepended with an ampersand (&) will automatically remove the ampersand. For example, if your creative URL is http://example.com/?bid={bid}&geo={country} and you enter bid={bid}, your URL will update to http://example.com/?geo={country}.

6. Click the Update URL button to apply your changes to the creative(s) you selected.

TIP: You can also bulk append or remove URL parameters + macros for creatives across multiple campaigns by clicking on the Pops tab, and then clicking on the Creatives tab.

Tracking conversions in third-party tracking platforms

The process for tracking conversions outside RTX Platform varies depending on your tracking platform. To help you track conversions in third-party platforms as well as on RTX Platform, we've created documentation for several popular tracking platforms listed below:

Need extra help? Schedule a call with a pixel expert who can help you place your pixel or do it for you.

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